Former Holyoke player Jackie Smith gets the point for America East champion Hartford

Photo by STEVE MCLAUGHLINJackie Smith, who played at Holyoke High School, has been University of Hartford's coach on the court all season.WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – As the last regular-season game started Saturday, the fans clothed in red at Chase Arena stood clapping in anticipation of the first University of Hartford basket.
In front of the Hawks bench was Jen Rizzotti, who after a marvelous decade of coaching here, was about to watch her current edition become only the sixth team in America East women’s basketball history to go undefeated in conference play. As the 61-51 victory over Vermont neared its close, the appreciative crowd of 2,698 in the quaint and charming arena jumped back on its feet to applaud.
It may not be Storrs, but it sure feels like it. This is the little love story of Connecticut. Hartford finished the regular season 25-3, and 16-0 in the conference. The Hawks, ranked No. 23 in the nation, have won a school record 18 straight.
And the leader of the pack – point guard Jackie Smith of Westfield – is a crowd and coach favorite. Not bad for a girl who started high school never expecting to play college sports. Smith played her high school ball at Holyoke High, where her father, Fran Smith, is a long-time football coach.
“She’s one of the easiest people to coach – ever,” Rizzotti said. “She does everything you ask her to do. She does it as hard as she can. And she even knows what you’re going to ask her sometimes before you even ask her.
“We knew Erica (Beverly) and Diana (Delva) obviously were going to be good this year. We knew that they would do their part, and they would dominate the boards, and the scoring. But I do feel like the biggest key to our success this season has been Jackie Smith – like easy, hands down. Without a good point guard running the team, keeping us organized, being vocal about what defense we’re in, you can’t be successful.
“We had great seniors last year (20-12 record), but I did feel we struggled with leadership on the floor at times. There’s no doubt that Jackie is our floor leader. That’s who they listen to, that’s who they’re looking to listen to, she’s the one talking in the huddles, she knows what we’re doing.”
Smith said Rizzotti was a big reason she came to Hartford. Smith is studying to be a teacher with an emphasis on special education.
“I was playing AAU when they recruited me, I was always a big fan of Jen Rizzotti,” Smith said. “She was on the ABL Blizzard team, and I went to see her play for them. It’s awesome. I couldn’t ask for a better coach. The intensity she brings is something she asks us to match, and it’s really hard to match. She’s not a hypocrite, when she asks for everything you have, she gives you everything she has. She’s fun to play for. Not only is she intense emotionally, and in your face, but she knows the game better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
And almost with that UConn-type expectation level, Smith downplays the perfect conference record.
“It’s pretty cool, it was one of our goals, we want to win every game, but we’re definitely not satisfied – nowhere near satisfied,” Smith said. “The new season (playoffs) starts, and we’re 0 and 0.”
Smith has charisma on the floor. Some of it has to do with her fiery left-handed passes and drives. She also seems so calm under pressure, like Saturday when Vermont (23-6, 13-3) was trying to come from behind down the stretch.
Smith credits family traits for both the left-handed wizardry, and the composure.
“When I was younger, my dad, being the coach that he was, he knew I was a right-handed player. He knew I was going to favor my right hand, so he had me practice with my left hand, and I ended up being better with my left than my right.”
Her older brother Aaron (three years to the day), was a pitcher for the University of Massachusetts baseball team. He began at UMass as a starting pitcher, became a setup man, and then a closer.
“Being a pitcher, he always needed to be very composed,” she said. “He taught me a lot about handling pressure, and not freaking out.”
Although Smith didn’t have one of her better games Saturday, with six turnovers, she is fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
“It wasn’t a game where maybe she played as well in terms of her passing, but the team is very confident when the ball’s in her hands,” Rizzotti said. “Everybody breathes a sigh of relief when she subs back in. Of all the players I’ve had come through the program, she’s certainly the best point guard.”
Sometimes Smith even calms down Rizzotti, who acknowledges that she’s just as intense on the bench as she was a player on the court.
“There was a halftime speech, and I was just livid, about as bad as I’ve been in all my years here,” recalled Rizzotti. “And I really thought I saw Jackie smile during the speech. She likes it when I challenge her, and her teammates. That’s who she is.”